Construction news

• GMI Construction wins Lightning Park contract

  01-03-2023 08:46 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Trebor Developments has awarded the contract to GMI Construction to build its Lightning Park scheme in Huntingdon.
  GMI will start on site this Spring building two units of 126,689 sq ft and 32,200 sq ft.
  Trebor also announced a deal with DHL UK on a long term lease for the larger unit while the smaller one will be built speculatively.Trebor secured detailed planning consent in December for the site which comprises 10 acres of commercial development land.
  Greg Dalton, Development Director for Tre
  
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• Bovis raids Mace Consult for consulting chief

  14-09-2026 16:24 via constructionenquirer.com
  Bovis has poached senior Mace Consult director Lesha Chetty to lead the expansion of its consulting business.
  Chetty joins as managing director, consulting, with a brief to drive growth and strengthen Bovis’ strategic advisory and programme delivery offer.
  She spent seven years at Mace, most recently as major programme director.Chetty was previously regional executive director and before that spent more than six years as business unit director for Communities & Place, leading work acro
  
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• Battersea Power Station plans in for final 3.2m sq ft build

  14-09-2026 16:07 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Plans have gone in to reshape the final 16 acres of the Battersea Power Station regeneration with up to 3.2m sq ft of development.
  Studio Egret West has overhauled Rafael Viñoly’s original 15-year-old masterplan for the undeveloped half of the 42-acre riverside site.
  The proposals will deliver a mix of housing, offices, shops, leisure and cultural space and nearly double the amount of development completed so far.Battersea Power Station before the proposed final build-out
  Battersea
  
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• Helix Construct files administration notice

  14-09-2026 09:10 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  London and South East building contractor Helix Construct has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators at the High Court.
  The Newbury-based firm employs more than 40 staff and specialises in affordable housing, education, care and commercial projects across London and the south of England.
  Latest accounts reveal the business has been under growing cash and profitability pressure, while auditors also raised concerns over the valuation and profit recognition on several contracts.For t
  
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• Road builders urge rethink over £428m RIS3 road cuts

  14-09-2026 08:44 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Civil engineering contractors have hit back at plans to strip £428m from the RIS3 roads programme and axe two major schemes.
  The Civil Engineering Contractors Association is urging Government to mothball the A38 Derby Junctions and A46 Newark Bypass jobs rather than kill them off completely.
  Ministers want to cut RIS3 capital spending over the first four years of the 2026-31 investment period, with the two enhancement schemes in the firing line and a further 2% squeeze proposed across othe
  
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• Glencar set for latest data centre on giant Slough site

  14-09-2026 08:25 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Glencar is understood to be lined-up for the latest data centre job at the giant Slough Trading Estate.
  The site is Europe’s largest data centre hub and owner SEGRO is moving towards construction of the latest powered shell building providing 30,000 sq m of space across three floors of data halls and a roof level plant deck.
  Planning permission is already in place via the Slough Trading Estate Simplified Planning Zone.The Enquirer understands Glencar has seen off competition from riva
  
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• Walker Modular lands 2,000 bathroom pods deal

  14-09-2026 08:22 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Walker Modular has landed a deal to supply 2,000 bespoke bathroom pods for the £250m Castle Leazes student accommodation scheme in Newcastle.
  Bowmer + Kirkland is main contractor on the project for a partnership between Unite Students and Newcastle University to create 2,000 new purpose-built student bedrooms across the site
  The bathroom solution uses Walker Modular’s one-piece seamless GRP construction, designed to reduce the number of joints and waterproof interfaces within the bat
  
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• Renaker strikes S106 deal for next five Manchester towers

  14-09-2026 08:21 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Manchester skyscraper developer Renaker has finally agreed a Section 106 deal with Manchester City Council to unlock its next £1bn generation of towers at Great Jackson Street.
  The agreement sets out a staged affordable housing contribution worth up to £114m and comes more than two years after councillors backed the five-tower development.
  Together the towers will deliver nearly 2,400 flats, including a 71-storey landmark that will become Manchester’s tallest building and the t
  
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• Boardroom fixer Alan Lovell called in to rescue British Steel

  14-09-2026 08:21 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Veteran boardroom fixer Alan Lovell has been parachuted in by Government to chair British Steel and steer its latest rescue.
  Lovell forged his turnaround reputation in construction after helping to save Costain from financial collapse in the 1990s.
  As finance director and later chief executive, he eliminated net debt from a peak of £450m and returned five of Costain’s six divisions to above-budget profitability.He was drafted onto the Carillion board in November 2017 as a non-executi
  
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• Housing activity dives 5% in July as construction stagnates

  11-09-2026 09:16 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Private house building slumped nearly 5% in July as weakening new work left construction output bumping along the bottom.
  The sharp fall in housing activity in July, dragged total new work down 0.4% with only infrastructure showing signs of growth.
  A 0.8% rise in repair and maintenance, historically an erratic figure in the Government official data, was enough to offset most of the decline, leaving overall construction output just 0.1% higher in July.
  But the wider three-month trend figures show
  
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• M&J Evans moves into new market as profits jump

  11-09-2026 09:00 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Groundworks specialist M&J Evans is diversifying into the utilities sector alongside its traditional house building work.
  The move helped the contractor post a strong set of results with pre-tax profits for the year to December 31 2025 up to £8m from £3.8m last time on turnover up to £374.3m from £323.3m.
  The company also confirmed plans to open its eighth region in the South East this year.M&J Evans said it “has also taken its first steps into the utilities
  
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• Berkeley calls for urgent stamp duty reform in Budget

  11-09-2026 08:53 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Berkeley Group has called for urgent stamp duty reform in the Budget to kick-start housing transactions and unlock stalled development.
  The house builder is urging Government to cap stamp duty at 1% for first-time buyers and downsizers and scrap the 5% surcharge on investors.
  Berkeley said the present stamp duty land tax regime had become a “binding constraint” on the housing market since interest rates returned to more normal levels.It argues that reduced transaction levels are now
  
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• McLaren seals go-ahead for £2bn York Central scheme

  11-09-2026 08:22 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Construction and property firm McLaren has secured planning for the first phase of the £2bn York Central regeneration.
  This clears the way for construction to start next year on more than 1,000 homes and a major new commercial district beside the city’s railway station
  City of York Council yesterday granted detailed consent for the opening phase of the 110-acre scheme being brought forward by McLaren Regeneration and Arlington Real Estate.The approved plans for phase 1C include 1,014
  
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• RSK buys £61m turnover highways contractor MSF

  11-09-2026 08:19 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  RSK Group has acquired £61m turnover highways infrastructure contractor Mason Street Furniture (MSF).
  The firm specialises in street lighting, traffic signs and signals, highway technology systems, fibre networks, electric vehicle infrastructure and independent connections.
  MSF works regularly alongside civils contractor Octavius Infrastructure which was acquired by RSK last year.Founded and led by Managing Director Shaun Stacey, MSF employs 175 people across its Northamptonshire headquart
  
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• OCU smashes through £1bn revenue barrier

  10-09-2026 14:17 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Energy and utilities infrastructure contractor OCU Group has smashed through the £1bn revenue barrier for the first time after another year of rapid growth.
  Revenue jumped 38% to £1.22bn in the year to April 2026 while adjusted operating profit also climbed 38% to £136m as margin hit 12.6%.
  Growth was not just acquisition driven. Excluding businesses bought during the last two years, organic revenue increased 25% as OCU benefited from rising investment across power, utilities a
  
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• Higgins cleared to restart stalled Ealing estate rebuild

  10-09-2026 13:33 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Higgins Partnerships has been cleared to move ahead with the stalled final phase of the Green Man Lane estate regeneration in West London.
  Ealing Council’s cabinet has approved changes to the next stage of the long-running programme, paving the way for around 400 more homes at the West Ealing site.
  Work on the final phase was paused in 2023 when contractor REAL entered administration.
  Higgins Partnerships will now take responsibility for the remaining development work through a new arrange
  
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• Seddon replaces Vistry on £40m Salford resi scheme

  10-09-2026 09:02 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Seddon Construction is set to replace Vistry on a £40m affordable housing project in Salford after the council decided not to proceed with the partnership homes group beyond enabling works.
  Salford City Council is preparing to award Seddon the main construction contract for 144 low-energy homes at Robert Hall Street in Ordsall.
  The site forms the A2 phase of a wider 274-home development covering Robert Hall Street and West Park Street.
  Vistry was appointed in spring 2024 to progress design
  
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• Consultant RLB cuts staff numbers

  10-09-2026 08:36 via constructionenquirer.com
  Consultant Rider Levett Bucknall has cut 2% of staff across the UK following a review of the business.
  The Enquirer understands that 39 people were made redundant at all levels from partner downwards.
  One worker said: “This came completely out of the blue with people losing their jobs in London, Birmingham and Manchester.“It seems to us that jobs were cut almost at random to meet a quota and it has created a lot of unease and unrest at the business.”
  An RLB statement said:
  
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• £2bn London Vauxhall Square tower trio approved

  10-09-2026 08:26 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Plans have been approved to build a trio of residential skyscrapers at Vauxhall in south London, filling out the centre of Nine Elms cluster beside the Thames.
  The tallest would rise to 69-storeys overshadowing the existing St Georges Wharf tower and will rank as the second tallest residential building in London.
  Lambeth councillors have backed the vast Vauxhall Square scheme, paving the way for a total of seven buildings containing 1,097 homes, 1,164 co-living apartments and 699 student bedroom
  
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• 80 firms win places on £350m Fusion21 repairs framework renewal

  10-09-2026 08:22 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Fusion21 has picked 80 firms to deliver housing repairs and maintenance work through a £350m framework.
  Major contractors securing places include Wates Property Services, Mears, Equans Regeneration, Axis Europe, Ian Williams, Cardo and UI Social Infrastructure.
  The four-year Responsive Repairs & Void Property Framework will be available to participating public bodies across the UK from 1 October.Forty-two firms have made the line-up for the Liverpool-based procurement body’s bigg
  
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• Worker died under two tonnes of soil in trench collapse

  09-09-2026 16:10 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Two construction companies and a contracts manager have been sentenced following the death of a labourer who died on a site in Banstead, Surrey.
  Gheorghita Arsene, 33, died in in June 2020 when a 10ft deep trench collapsed on top of him, covering him in two tonnes of soil soil. He had been working on a site where an old care home was being demolished to make way for a new purpose-built home.
  Following a three-month trial at the Central Criminal Court in London, principal contractor Appledorn Dev
  
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• Infrastructure demand helps Clancy to record results

  09-09-2026 12:33 via constructionenquirer.com
  Family-owned civils contractor Clancy has posted record results as infrastructure workloads continue to rise.
  The water and energy sectors were the star performers as Clancy reported a pre-tax profit of £31.7m for the year to March 29 2026 from £28m last time as turnover jumped to £498m from £429.6m.
  The firm saw its forward order book hit £2.8bn with the strong pipeline and a net cash position of £58m supporting reinvestment across the business.The new Clancy
  
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• McGee boss Fossey takes top job at Permasteelisa

  09-09-2026 10:06 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Permasteelisa Group has appointed former McGee managing director Seb Fossey as its new group chief executive.
  Fossey will join the global façade specialist on 28 September as it targets its next phase of international growth.
  He spent nine years at specialist engineering contractor McGee, joining as operations director in 2017 before becoming group managing director in 2019.During his time at McGee, Fossey helped oversee its move from a traditional demolition and groundworks subcontractor
  
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• London Mayor backs 3,000-home Beckton gasworks regeneration

  09-09-2026 09:18 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  London’s deputy mayor for planning has approved plans for nearly 3,000 homes at Beckton Riverside, paving the way for a £250m remediation and enabling works programme on the former gasworks site.
  Berkeley Group subsidiary St William is preparing the massive clean-up operation across the derelict east London site ahead of the first homes getting underway.
  The hybrid masterplan was called in by City Hall in April after Newham Council approved the first phase last year.Mayoral approval
  
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• £1bn heatwave hit sparks resilience spending call

  09-09-2026 08:49 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  The Institution of Civil Engineers is calling on Government to commission an independent economic review to kick-start investment in making UK infrastructure more resilient to climate change.
  ICE said a major review of the costs and benefits of climate adaptation could have the same impact on resilience policy as the Stern Review had on cutting carbon emissions.
  The call is the central recommendation in its new report published this morning, Making resilience count: The economic value of climate
  
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• Torsion Construction went down owing suppliers £15m

  09-09-2026 08:19 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Torsion Construction owed hundreds of suppliers at least £15.6m when it went into administration in July.
  The huge debt owed to subcontractors came despite the efforts of Torsion bosses to minimise the impact on suppliers by organising direct payments to subbies by clients as the company’s money troubles grew.
  An update for creditors from administrator Interpath said: “Given the company’s deteriorating cash position, the company agreed to introduce direct payment arrangem
  
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• Plan lodged to turn BT Tower into 400-room hotel

  09-09-2026 08:08 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Plans have been lodged for a conversion of London’s landmark BT Tower into a 400-room hotel and visitor attraction.
  US hotel giant MCR is proposing to overhaul the Grade II-listed Fitzrovia tower, its podium and adjoining Howland Building, retaining 78% of the existing structures by volume.
  Orms Architects is leading the design after taking over the project from Heatherwick Studio, which was originally appointed following MCR’s £275m purchase of the tower from BT Group in 2024.
  
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• Contractor hunt for £50m South Wales link road

  08-09-2026 15:08 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has started the hunt for a contractor to deliver a £50m link road near Aberdare in South Wales.
  The Cynon Gateway North scheme will create a new 1.2km road between the A4059 Aberdare Bypass and the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road at Croesbychan.
  The council is progressing procurement for a design-and-build contractor, with an appointment expected during 2027 before detailed design work gets underway.The route will run through land between Llwydcoed and Penywaun, ar
  
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• Vistry pitches plan to unlock 30,000 homes a year

  08-09-2026 14:46 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Vistry is calling for a new shared ownership model that it claims could unlock 30,000 extra new-build home sales a year and give house builders confidence to accelerate development pipelines.
  The proposed Choice-led Shared Ownership scheme would allow eligible first-time buyers to select any qualifying new-build home rather than being restricted to homes specifically designated for shared ownership.
  Buyers would purchase at least 60% of the property using a conventional mortgage and pay rent of
  
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• Conlon lands £18m Wigan SEND school

  08-09-2026 09:32 via constructionenquirer.com
  
  Employee-owned Conlon Construction has secured an £18m contract to deliver a major new SEND school campus in Wigan.
  The Preston-based contractor has signed the deal with Wigan Council to relocate Hope School and College to the Central Park site on Montrose Avenue.
  The award ranks among Conlon’s biggest school jobs to date.Hope School caters for children and young people with severe learning difficulties and profound and complex physical and medical needs from across the borough.
  Conl
  
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